To commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy, Madonna University will host a celebration Monday, Jan. 20, from 5:30-7:00 p.m., in Kresge Hall, featuring live music, dance performances, and guest speaker Dr. James Chaffers, who is a scholar, teacher, designer, and social activist.
Chaffers' remarks will address the University’s Mission theme: Impelled by our Mission and Heritage: We Build with Living Stones.
An emeritus professor of architecture at the University of Michigan, Chaffers was first in the nation to earn a Doctor of Architecture degree. A Woodrow Wilson Fellow, he was recently elevated to the College of Fellows within the American Institute of Architects. While at U-M, Chaffers established the UM-Ghana Architecture Exchange, one of the first architectural study abroad programs in sub-Saharan Africa. In the local community, he has served as a founding member of the Detroit Housing Workshop for more than 30 years.
In 1998, Dr. Chaffers was selected as the sole academic-professional designer to serve on a 17-member national design committee that generated the design criteria for a living memorial to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., constructed on the Mall in Washington, DC, and unveiled in 2011.
